Journal lubricator



L. E. HOYER ETAL JOURNAL LUBRICATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet l invent ors Lleweign E. aer

Edward R. omge@ Mon-Legs April 18, 1961 Filed Dec. l, 1958 April 18, 1961 L. E. HoYER ETAL 2,980,470

JOURNAL LUBRI CATOR el' *Ulli /25 'ffl [Semin www 94 il si i n' i 5% f 5M f4 ll. i' l im )j xii r MV Uhl filth/41m nventors Llewellgn EJoer Edward RGorcca -H-l'l-ornegs L. E. HOYER ETAL JOURNAL LUBRICATOR April 1s, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. l. 1958 Inventor-5 Llewellgn E. Hager Eward R.Gorcca.

April 18, 1961 L, E, HQYER ETAL 2,980,470

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR Filed Dec. l. 1958 4 Sheets-Shea?I 4 l" Ffa" zojl LWN:

F5 -Fs/ asl-9.11

Inventor Llei/valign E. Hoger F2912 faward corcgcc :pr-Horne nited States Patent JoURNAr. LUBRrcAron Llewellyn E. Hoyer, Wyckoff, and Edward R. Gorcyca,

Mahwah, NJ., assignors to American Brake Shoe Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed'Dec. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 777,4S5

7 Claims. (Cl. 308-83) This invention relates to a lubricator for lubricating a journal disposed for rotation in a journal box.

The present invention relates to a lubricator that is adapted to transmit lubrication in the bottom of a railroad journal box on to the journal portion of the car axle disposed in the journal box, and thus the present invention has its primary utility in connection with otherwise standard railroad journal box equipment wherein the journal of the car axle rotates on a so-called partial bearing mounted within the journal box.

The long-practiced method of lubricating the journal and the journal bearing of a railroad car axle has been by means of waste packing packed in the bottom of the journal box in contact with the lower periphery of the journal. It is generally now considered, however, that waste packing is one of the primary causes of hot boxes, and as a consequence eiorts are being taken to supplant waste packing by a more satisfactory form of lubricating means.

It will be recognized that a lubricator for a railroad car journal should be relatively simple in construction, not so much because of cost considerations as the greater likelihood of failure of a lubricator that depends upon relatively complicated structure. Moreover, with a lubricator embodying many parts there is a greater likelihood of a loose or weakened part becoming entrained on the journal, and of course if this occurs a severe accident will most likely be caused either by journal or bearing failure.

In view of the foregoing, the objects of the present invention are: to construct a lubricator for the journal of a railroad car including a resilient base member capable of conforming to the shape of the bottom of the journal box, a pair of arms tlexibly connected to the base member and projecting upwardly therefrom and supporting a readily renewable wick, and spring means acting between the base member and the arms to urge the arms inwardly toward one another to contact opposite sides of the journal; to embody in a lubricator of the foregoing kind retainers cooperating with rigid parts in the journal box to prevent relative displacement of the lubricator; to so support the wick as to relay lubricant from the supply in the bottom of the journal box to the journal with a high degree of eciency; and to construct a journal lubricator with relatively few Working parts with consequent minimum failure possibility.

It is important that a lubricator for a railroad car journal be capable of sustained contact with the car journal and eective operation even at times when the supply of lubricant is tending toward a minimum; and the attainment of these ends constitute another object of the present invention. Other objects of the present invention are to construct a lubricator for the journal of a railroad car consisting almost entirely of flexible non-metallic parts, whereby the'same will readily conform geometrically to'variant conditions and will not wear the journal, and to so'dimen'sion the various parts thereof as to prevent shifting of the lubricator and. prevent any significant Patented Apr. 18, 19,61

contact of the wick part of the lubricator with portions of the journal which might become fouled thereon.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments of the present invention, the principles thereof and what we now consider to be the best mode contemplated for applying these principles. Gther embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings: l

Fig. l is a section through a standard railroad journal box and associated parts showing a lubricator of the present invention installed in operative position therein;

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of the Fig. l lubricator;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the Fig. l lubricator;

Fig.5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the form of the retainers;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modied construction;

Fig. 8 is a view on the line 8 3 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the Fig. 7 lubricator as installed;

Fig. 10 is a plan View of still another modified form of the invention;

Fig. 1l is an elevation, partly in section, of the lubricator shown in Fig. 10; and

Fig. l2 is a view on the line 12-l2 of Fig. l1.

In Fig. l of the drawings, there is illustrated a journal box JB of standard or AAR approved cast construction.

The journal box JB includes spaced apart opposed sidewalls SW, a rounded bottom wall BW joining the lower edges of the side walls SW, and a top wall TW. As is well known, the journal i of the railroad car is extended into the cavity of the journal box dened by the walls thereof, and it should be pointed out that the section in Fig. l is at the outer end of the journal box, that is, the end away from the car axle. The journal I rotates on the bearing lining BL of a partial bearing B which is retained in place by a conventional Wedge W having a lower surface complemental to the angled backl of the bearing B, the wedge W being wedged in place between the top wall of the journal box and the back of the bearing.

The respective side walls of the journal box are formed with inwardly directed so-called stop columns SC-l and SCi-2, and the bearing B is provided adjacent the forward end thereof with lugs L which are engageable with the Vfront walls of the respective stop columns serving to limit displacement of the bearing B. As will be explained, the stop columns SC- and SC-Z are utilized under the present invention to maintain the lubricator of the present invention in place.

Disposed below the stop columns and projecting inwardly from the opposed side walls SW of the journal box are so-called waste retainer ledges WL-l and WL-2. These ledges are present in most standard journal boxes for the purpose of retaining the waste packing, where used, in place, and under the present invention the Waste ledges can also be used to limit displacement of the lubricator of the present invention as will be explained.

The bottom of a standard journal box -as IB is adapted to serve as a reservoir for lubricating oil having a depth of several inches. The long-practiced prior method was to pack cotton waste in the cavity of the journal box below the journal, the waste serving to relay lubricant to the journal by capillary action. As has been explained above, this method of lubrication is considered to be a constant source of the hot box problem, and under the of the lubricator. in'position, Athe Vwebs 3S and 36 tend-to` be shortened,

present invention is eliminated by having resort to a lubricator 20, Figs. 2 to 6, which is adapted to transmit lubricant to the journal by means of a woven wick thereby eliminating the objection to the loose strand Ynature ot waste packing.V

' Y The lubricator 20 embodies a base member V21 of resilient oil-resistant hard'rubber Durometer hardness ap proximately 70-90, capable of conforming to the con- Y Ais to say that the edges 24pan'd 25 will extend parallel to the side walls of the Ajournal box wheny the lubricator 20 is mounted therein, and in such circumstances the longitudinalterdges 22 and 23 are of course respectively at the front andrear ends of the journalbox. As will be appreciated from the description to follow, however, the lubricator 20 is fully reversible in the sense that itis immaterial which longitudinal edge'22 or 2 3 becomes the leading edgeV at the time the lubricator is'inserted in the journal box, land this of courseV represents an important attribute of the lubricator ofthe present invention.

Y Oil in the bottom of the journal box is to be relayed to the journal by `a wick, and to this end a pair of arms 30 and 31 are molded integrally with the base member 21 and the arrangement Yis such that the left and right handV sections 21A and 21B ofthe base member outwardly Vof the arms 30 and 31, respectivelyyare ofequal extent whereby the lubricator is perfectly symmetrical both in a longitudinal and transverse'sense. The arm members, as best shown in Fig. 4,',extend for the`full lateral or transverse dimension of the base member 21, and thisY dimension corresponds approximately to the length of` the journal betweenthe collar, not shown, at the outer or free end thereof and the first annular llet, not shown, adjacent the dust guard diameter of the journal. YIn other words, the arms 30 and 31 correspond approximately in length to the axial dimension of the journal J that rotates on the bearing B, and as will-be explained this construction enables lubricant to be relayed uniformly bythe action of a wick to the journal substantially for theentire axial bearing extent thereof. Y Y Y Y Y The arms 30 and 31 are inherently flexible as a-result of being molded integrallyV with the base member 21, and the space dimension between the arms 30 and 31 is V figuration yof the bottom wall of the journal-box as best l' manifest in generally V-shaped bulges 37 Iand 38, Fig. l. In other words, at the time of installation, the Webs 35 and 36 are compressed whereby a spring action is originated tending to hold the'arms 30 and 31 inwardly against the journal with arelatively strong force.

The arms 30 and 31 serve primarily as a support for a wick 40, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in the form of a woven tube of the kindrdisclosed in application Serial No. 582,030, led May 1, 19756, now VPatent; No. 2,939,751, issued June 7, 1960. Thus, the tube 40 is of one-piece, sleeve-type construction having open ends, and in mounting the wick onY the arms 30 and 31, the wick at onel of the open ends Y is placed over the upper end of one of the arms 30 and 31 so as to cap the upper end of such arm for a substantial extent. The opposite open end'of the wick sleeve is next related in like manner to the other arm 30 orV 31, and then the intermediate portion of the wick is tucked down along the innerwalls of the arms 30 and 31 to dispose the medial part 40M, Fig. 2,'of Ythe wick in contact with the medial part of the base member 21 between the arms 30 and 31. kIn other words, substantially the entire area ofrtherarms 30 and 31 proceeding from the juncture line of the one web member therewith across to the corresponding juncture line of the other web member 36 is lined with wicking materiallthereby kestablishing la rela-V tively large wicking capacity for the lubricator,

' As will be recognizedfrom Fig.' 1, the medial part of the base member 21 and theV inner portions of the two outer sections21A and.21B of the base member will, when the lubricator 20 is installed in operative position, be bathed in oil inv the bottom of the journal box. This will likewise be true'of the medial part 40M ofthe wick as well astthe lower extents of the inner portions 40A and 40B of therwick that are suspended by the arms 30 and 31. It will therefore be recognized that the wick 40 is capable 'not onlytof soakingup a great quantity of oil because of the extensive area thereof, but is also capable of operating eiectively so long as theV supply of lubricant i in the journal box is at least up to the medial part 40M such that when the lubricator is installed in position below f generally arcuate forrn,which extend fromthe outer sides t of the arms 30 and 31 substantially at the transverse mid `lines thereof to juncture lines on the base member 21 outwardly of the juncture lines joining the arm'sr30 and 31 to the base member 21. YAs a consequence of this, when the lubricator is mounted in operative positionpin thejournal box as shown in Fig. 1, therwerbs 35 and`36 assumean acccrdian or Ybellows conditionV due` tothe spreading apart of the arms 30V and 31 during installation Thus, when the lubricator is installed Such spring means in the Ypresent instance,

of the wick. f

It is'irnportant that a lubricator for'the'journal of Ia railroad car be secured within ,the journal box against displacement to assure that the lubricatorv is restricted to the journal portion of the car axle between the'collar and the dust guard seat. This is'easily accomplished in accordance with Vthe `present invention simplyby aixing retainers to the'outer or freeV ends Vof the two sections 21A and 21B ofY the base member 21. The retainers are adapted rto complementally engage solidV partsY of the Journal box; and such solidrparts of the journal box are conveniently represented bythe stopcolumns and the waste ledges described above. v Y l Y Thus, and referring in particular toFigs. 1 and 6 of the drawings, retainer plates 50 and '51, `of relatively .rigid material such asiiber board or'the-like, are affixed in a suitablefashion to theree ends of the base member to project outwardly therefrom. Each of the retainer plates includes a flat base 52 which is disposed on what constitutes the upper side of the base plate 21 of thelubricator as viewed in Fig. 5, which is to say that the retainer ,plates 50 and vSl'are on the side-of the base 21 of the Ylubricator which is disposed toward the car journal when the lubricator is installed in its operative position. The

.retainer plates 50 and 51 areadapted to cooperate with 51 are so formed as to provide a pair of e'ars55 and 56,

Figs. 1 and 6, whichare separatedpby Yrelatively wide Anotches 57. The ears 55 and 56 are of suicient length to extend upwardlyalong the front and rar walls of the agentes stop columns in the journal box with the notches 57 embracing the lower sides of the respective stop columns as shown in Fig. l of the drawing. Preferably, the ears 5S and 56 are of sufficient length as to have the free end portions thereof projected a substantial distance upwardly relative to the lugs L of the bearing B whereby the lugs of the bearing serve to limit movement of the retainer plates in the direction of the car journal J. It will be recognized that the ears of the retainers constitute abutments which are engageable with front and rear walls of the stop columns to limit displacement of the lubricator axially of the car journal. Likewise, the resultant shoulders 58, Figs. 1 and 6, formed in the retainers as a consequence of formation of the notches 57 constitute solid surfaces on the retainers engageable with the lower sides of the stop columns thereby limiting transverse displacement of the lubricator. lt will be further realizedv that the spring nature of the arms 30 and 31 of the lubricator enables the journal .l to be displaced vertically relative to the bearing B without damage orY injury to or any adverse effect on the operativeness of the lubricator.

The lubricator described above is also preferably equipped with auxiliary retainers 60 and 61 fixed to the free ends of the base member 21 on the side thereof opposite the retainer plates 50 and 51. Thus, as shown in Fig. 1, the auxiliary retainer plates are so positioned as to be disposed beneath the waste retainer ledges, where provided in a journal box as FB, and hence constitute additional means, cooperating with the lower surfaces of the retainer ledges, to limit transverse displacement of the lubricator. It will be appreciated that any convenient and accessible solid projecting member within the journal box such as journal stops or the like, where provided, can also be utilized to cooperate with suitable complementally configured retainer plates.

Adyantageously, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5,.re. inforce plates R of rigid material are molded in the medial portion 21Mv of the base member 21 between the lower edges of the arms 30fand 31.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. In this instance, the lubricator 100 embodies but two essential parts, namely, a wicking cover S and a resilient base lhaving arms 107 and 108 molded integral. therewith. Referring to Fig. 7, the base 105 has a length corresponding approximately to the length of the bottom wall ofthe journal box between the dust guard slot thereof and the base of the upwardly curved forward wall of the journal box as will be explained in more detail below, and as shownV in Fig. 9 the width of the base 106v is such that the remote free side edges E thereof lie just below the journal box waste retainer ledges WL-l and WL-Z whereby the latter tend to prevent any significant lateral shift of the lubricator in the journal box as shown in Fig. 9.

'The arms 107 and 108 are of less length than the base of the lubricator as shownY in Fig. 7 for a purpose to be explained andn have free inner edges E1 that are spaced one from another to enable the opposite open ends of the wicking cover to be easily draped over full extents of thelubricator arms withthe intermediate portion of theV cover followingthe contour of the upper face of the base 106 in the journal box so-as to be well submerged in the oil. The cover, if desired, can be fastened to the outer portionsV of the.V arms that merge into the outer extremes of the base,y Whileditferent forms of fastening can be resorted to, we prefer to permanently secure brass gOmmeIS BG...F.ig. 7, in such portions of the base, and removable fasteners F are passed through the cover and the openings in the grommets. In this way, the cover is anchored in place but can be readily removed and replaced when circumstances require.

The lubricator 100 embodies spring means that tend to urge the covered arms against the two lower quarters of the journal with a desired degree of pressure. Thus, a plurality of spring steel inserts 110 are molded in the base 106 and the arms 107 and 108, each spring insert having an elongated arc portion embedded in the base of the lubricatorand having end extensions embedded in the arms 107 and 108 as illustrated in Fig. 8.

While, as mentioned above, oil resistant hard rubber is advantageously employed as the resilient material for the lubricator base and spring-biased arms, other materials can be used such as molded fabrics, plastics and foams, felt or Woven material. Figs. l0 and 11 illustrate another modification of the inventionwhich for the most part is similar that shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and hence the essential differences only will be mentioned. Thus, the lubricator 200, Figs. 10 and 11, has the front and rear edges of the base thereof notched at a plurality of areas 210. Such notches or cut-outs provide aligned surfaces FS and RS respectively representing the front and rearv edges of the base. The spaced surfaces that are in alignment afford a centering action assuring that the lubricator is not canted within the journal box. Thus, the rear surfaces RS are adapted to engage the bottom of the forward wall at the back of the journal box JB, Fig. 12, which affords in part the dust guard slot DS. Likewise, the base of the lubricator 200 is so dimensioned that the front surfaces FS will substantially abut the beginning of the rising contour at the front of the journal box bottom wall. It should also be pointed out that this is the dimensioning of the lubricator described above.

The arms 203 and 2,04 of the lubricator 200 are of shorter front to rear dimension than the base, and this is particularly evident in- Fig. l2. This same dimension -is used for the arms 107 and 108 of the lubricator 100, and is selected so that the lubricator arms will be inboard of the collar C and fillet surface FLS of the journal l, Fig. 12, the fillet surface FLS being just forward of the dust guard seat DGS of the car journal. lt should be pointed out that Fig. 12 is not a true representation of the operative condition in thejournal box. Thus, under normal circumstances, the lubricator arm 204 would be folded under the journal'inV a spring-biasedstate in the manner illustrated in. Fig. 9, but the arm 204 is shown in lits untensioned state in Fig. 12 to demonstrate clearly the dimensioning involved.

Openings 215 and 216 are located medially in the base of the lubricator 200, and these enable a hook tool to be applied thereto in removing or adjusting the lubricator. These openings, if found necessary, can be reinforced.l

lt will be` seen from the foregoing that under the present invention there is afforded a lubricator for the journal of a railroadcar axle of relatively uncomplicated and inexpensive construction. Thus, the lubricator of the present invention includes but a base member of flexible material capable of conforming to the bottom of the journal box at the interior thereof, a pair of integral arms liexibly secured at edges thereof to the base member, and a wick draped on and between the arms. arms are under spring tension, and in operation the arms in effect clasp the journal holding the wick against opposed portions of the journal, with the intermediate portion of the wick suspended from and between the arms of the lubricator dipping into the supply of oil within the journal box whereby oil is relayed by capillarity or wick action to the journal. If for some reason the wick becomes unduly worn or by chance somehow frayed, it is a simple matter to replace the wick. The manner in which the arms areflexibly secured to the base member of the lubricator and spring urged toward one another. enables the lubricator to accommodate, without undergoing any permanent set, relative downward movement of the journal in the journal box without damage to the lubricator- In fact, it is possible at this time yfor the lubricator to relay even greater quantities of oil to the journal.

It will moreover be recognized that the lubricator has neither a front nor rear side and hence it is immaterial which side is at the rear or front of the journal box. The

The.

following claims.Y

base Aof the -lubricatoi-has an extensive areaf and hence has good frictional contact with the bottomof the journal box from'one side tothe other-and partrwayfupthe sides ofthe box which assureslittle movement of Vthe lubricator duetothe Ventailed frictionover a wide area. By dimensioning the base Yand arms of the lubricator 4inthe manner explained in connection with Y F/ig. 12,'the base is main-V tained against shifting axiallyV parallel tothe journal, and

Vthe wick is free of surfaces ofthe journal which Ymight become fouled Von the wick and -which do not need tou be lubricated in the first place. Y Y Y Y Hence, while we have'illustrated and'described a pre- `ferr'ed embodiment of our invention,- it is to be understood that this is capable of variation andmodication, and we therefore do not'wish to beilirnited to the precise details set forth, but'desire to avail ourselves of such changes andalterationsas fall within the purviewof the xWeclaim: Y. f .s p '1. A lubricator for a journal'disposed Vfor rotation within a journal box and`comprising,1a.base member in the -form of-a generallyat and' rectangular sheetof flexible resilient hard V.rubber'materiaL aA pair of arms composed of said material molded'integ'rallyiwith said Vbase member so as to be flexibly joined attheir Vlower edges thereto and projecting inrspaced divergentV gener# ally V-relation therefrom, a one-piece sleeve of wicking material Ywoven in tube form AVand havinglthe opposed open ends thereofcapping the free endiportions of said arms with opposed intermediate portions ofv said vsleeve looped'between and draped along the opposed inner faces of Ysaid arms and with themedialrportion of Ysaid sleeve disposed closely adjacent the medial part of said base member between said arms, webs composed fofsaid material integrally joined to said arms Yand said base member and servingras spring means for urging said arms toward vone 4another upon spreading said arms apart, and' retainers of relatively rigid material'at the opposedinner ends of said base member. l v j Y .2. A lubricator fora journal disposed for rotation with- Yin a journal box and comprising, a base member in the Y' wick in tube form havingopen,endrportions :supported on free ends of said arms Y. and an-intermediatejportion sus-1 pended between said/armsanddisposedfbelow the free ends f Sa'idarfns VSab.Siwuialli'i iin'contaciwithgthe p0rtion ofrsaid base member betweensaidarrns.l`

11.- 4A lubricatorY/for a journal disposed for'protation withina journalbox and comprising,;ajbase member of exible resilientmaterial adapted ,to beginsertedrin said journal box, aepain of arms expibly'secured toisaid base member in `spaced relation and projecting therefrom, Spring means comprising a member integrally joined to anrarm ata mid portion thereofV and acting between saidbaseimember-and each of said arms for urgingsaid arms toward'one another, and aune-piece wick in tube form having open end portionssupported on freewenvdsof said,

, armsand an intermediate portion suspended between said 2.I`lII1S,I, -.l,.AV l- Y SQA Ylubricator .fora journal disposed forlrotation within a journalbox andcomprising, a Vbase member in the form of af generally at .and rectangular sheet of exible resilient hard rubber.Y materiah apair of arms integrally joined flexibly at their-lowerY edges to said base member and projecting invspac'ed relation therefrom, said Yarms being joined to the base member at locations closely adjacent .the opposed side edges of saidfbas'e member,

Vand a sleeve Yof V,wic'kingQmaterial havingr'theopposed ends-thereof capping thelfree'lend portionslof saidarms with opposedintermediate portions ofsaid sleeve looped between and draped along theopposedV inner faces of sa'id arms andwith the medial "portion of ,said sleeve disposed closely vadjacent the Ymedial part'pf ,said *base Y aire resilient material having Venlslmolded integral with the formof a generally flat and rectangularsheet ofexible resilient material, a pair of arms composed of said maf terial molded integrally with said base member so as to be flexibly joined `thereto and projectingV inspaced Vrela-V tion therefrom, webs composed of saidlmaterial integral-Y ly joined to said arms'and said base member and serving Y as spring means for urging said arms toward one another upon spreading said arms, and wicking material having ends thereof removably related to the free end portions Y of said arms with opposed intermediate portions of lsaid wicking material draped along theopposed iunerfaces of said arms Vand with the medial portion of saidwicking material disposed closely adjacentthe medial part ofs'aid base member between said arms, and retainers of relatively rigid material at the Opposed inner ends of said basemember.AVV ,f Y f V 3.,A lubricator Vfor 'a journal' disposed Vfor rotation exible material adapted to Vbe inserted fin said journal box, a pair of arms ofrexible material and flexiblysecured to said base member so as to, project therefrom' in spaced relation, said base member of exiblermaterial including a reinforcing member embedded in the, portion of the base member between said arms, compressible spring means comprising a webof exible material acting between said base member and each of said arms for urging said arms toward one another, and a one-piece within'a journal box and comprisingfafbase member kof upper face of the base andveach beingY continuous from approximately the collar journal to the journal fillet surface just forward of theldust guard seat ,of the journal, saidarms having -freeends spaced from one another,

spring means acting-on said arms intermediate the'free ends andthe ends molded'with thefbasev for biasing said arms, toward'therrjoui'nal, andwicl Ymeans on said arms yand dipping in to oil inthe bottom ofthe journal box and held against the lowerfpart ofthe journal by said arms.

7. A lubricator according to claim 6 wherein the front and v,rear edges off the lubricator lhave symmetrically arranged notches spaced inwardly ,from the side'edges of said base for engaging journal box structure to prevent cantingof the lubricator in the journal box.

:j l :References Cted'in the file of Vthspratellt Y l l insurer)l s'rrEs PATENTS 

